Watching You Sleep
written by: Jenny Middleton
Sometimes I watch you sleep,
Your mind deserted of day
And its immutable rationales
Your eye lashes jolting
As if a strobed, dazzling electricity
Were fused and wired inside
To some apex of mind buzzing
With strange sorrows and unseen
Journeys, opening only
In sleep as memories
That jangle and fight at sleep’s
Quiet bond of darkness and rest.
The hot, feathered duvet
Twists around your long limbs
As if quarrelling with repose
And webbing you amongst
Its tangle and I wish you the world’s
Drowsy violets, sweet with shade
And full of night borne remedies
To calm the agitation
Of the day and soothe with loose
blooms the shuffling stack of routine;
the trails and concoctions
of all those tomorrows.
Jenny Middleton
Jenny Middleton's poems have been published in various printed anthologies and online sites. Jenny studied English Literature and Drama at university and went on to study a postgraduate degree in education to qualify as a teacher; she is now a working mum. Her poems are often drawn from real experiences or inspired by artwork.
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